Welcome back, everybody!  This is Rick Pettigrew, to deliver the latest batch of four fascinating news stories from this past week of Archaeologica.  Send us feedback on The Archaeology Channel Facebook page or post a message on our social networking site, ArchaeoSeek!

An ancient site in the Peruvian Andes displays thousands of carefully arranged holes that now appear to have been a massive accounting tool.  A study comparing the movement of human and dog DNA across Eurasia appears to show that human groups within the last 11,000 years kept their dogs with them as they migrated.  Archaeologists exploring beneath a French naval base on the Mediterranean found traces of an ancient port.  And a widespread study of early modern human DNA in Eurasia surprisingly finds that the proportion of Denisovan DNA was almost zero in populations of ancient Japan.

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And now, here’s Laura Kennedy,   with the Audio News from Archaeologica!  We hope you find this to be a valuable part of your day!

Welcome to the Audio News from Archaeologica!  I’m Laura Kennedy, and these are the headlines in archaeological and historical news for the week of November 9th through the 15th, 2025.

Our first story this week comes from Pisco Valley in the Andes of southern Peru, where a new study indicates that the famous Monte Sierpe [MOHN-teh see-ER-pay] monument was likely a system of accounting and exchange.

As reported by Phys.org, Monte Sierpe, which means “serpent mountain,” is a 1.5-kilometer-long collection of about 5,200 holes.  These holes measure between 1 and 2 meters wide and half a meter to a meter deep.  Their exact purpose was previously unknown, and archaeologists had proposed functions such as those related to defense, storage or gardening.

An international team of researchers conducted the study using high-resolution drone footage and microbotanical sediment analysis from the holes.

The microbotanical evidence revealed traces of plants such as maize and wild plants used in basketmaking.  These traces suggest that Indigenous groups lined the holes with plant materials and placed goods inside.

Aerial photos show numerical patterns in the layout of the holes, which mirror Inca counting devices made from knotted strings called khipus.  This pattern points to the Inca using the holes for a system of accounting for tribute.

The site is located near a network of pre-Hispanic roads and two Inca administrative centers.  It also sits at the intersection of the highlands and the lower coastal plain, a natural meeting point where groups would have exchanged goods.

Researchers propose that Monte Sierpe was initially developed by the Chincha Kingdom for regulated exchange before it transitioned to Inca rule.  The Chincha were a wealthy kingdom that ruled between AD 1000 and 1400, before their conquest by the Inca.

According to study lead author Dr. Jacob Bongers from the University of Sydney, this discovery shows how ancient communities altered their landscapes to bring people together.  It also adds to our understanding of the diversity and development of Indigenous accounting and bartering practices.

The study appeared in the journal Antiquity.

Next, we go to Eurasia, where a new genetic study shows the importance of dog companions during the many migrations of people there in the Holocene period.  People during that time may have even traded dogs between groups.

As reported by ConnectSci, an international team of researchers analyzed the genetic sequences of 17 dogs from sites in Siberia, East Asia and the Central Asian steppe.  The canines date between 870 and 9,700 years old.  The archaeologists compared these data to 57 previously analyzed ancient dogs and 160 modern dogs.

The team also analyzed genetic changes in 18 ancient humans.  This allowed them to uncover similarities between the genetic shifts in both species.  They found that the greatest change occurred during periods of large human migrations, such as in early Bronze Age China, around 2000 to 1600 BC.

According to the study lead Dr. Laurent Frantz from the Ludwig Maximilian University in Germany, the link between canine and human genetics shows the longstanding importance of dogs across different times and regions.  As dogs moved with humans across the continent, this correlation reflects their deep integration into human communities.

The data indicate that the relationship between humans and dogs is at least 11,000 years old, beginning when northern Eurasian hunter-gatherers traded dogs similar to modern huskies.  Rather than adopting only local dogs, ancient people appeared to maintain possession of their own dogs.

However, the team also found some differences between human and dog genetic patterns.  Some dogs showed Arctic genetic markers, hinting that Holocene groups exchanged or traded dogs with other communities.

This study highlights the long partnership and cultural significance of dogs.

It came out in the journal Science.

Our third story takes us to the French Mediterranean port of Toulon [too-LOHN], where archaeologists excavating under a naval base have discovered an ancient coastal settlement that dates to the second century BC.

As reported by the Greek Reporter, researchers from the French National Institute for Preventive Archaeological Research conducted the study.  The site was originally a small island off the coast of Toulon before being connected to the mainland in the 1930s.  They say that the site provides an unprecedented glimpse at two thousand years of development, from pre-Roman occupation to a French naval base in the late seventeenth century.

Researchers found signs of habitation at the ancient settlement from the second century BC through the second century AD.  This period saw cultural exchange among the Gauls, Greeks and Romans.  The team uncovered several thousand square meters of stone structures, including workshops for crafting, fishing and commerce, as well as houses.

Archaeologists also uncovered many artifacts, including ceramics, imported goods and coins from southern Italy. The wide variety of coins suggests the site may have contained a mint.

The island became a naval base in the seventeenth century, when the French Royal Navy built a powder magazine there.  Researchers found an 80-meter-long stone quay [KEY], or landing place.  The well-preserved quay once handled ships delivering gunpowder and ammunition to warships in the harbor.

For future research, the team plans to study the quay’s wooden foundation, lifting systems and construction methods.  The seabed beneath the quay may also reveal additional discoveries.

The archaeological site lies below sea level, so excavating it required a combination of land and underwater techniques.  Rather than drain the underwater sections, researchers reflooded a section of the ancient channel that had once separated the island from the mainland.  This reflooding enclosed the site in a controlled basin of water that allowed underwater archaeologists to work.

France’s construction in the area for a New Generation Aircraft Carrier includes the Toulon harbor zone.  To preserve important historical knowledge, the Department of Underwater Archaeological Research will continue to study the area.

Our final story this week takes us to Japan, where a new study of Denisovan DNA suggests that people during the Jomon [joe-MOHN] period, which lasted from 14,000 to 300 BC, had little to no relation to Denisovans.

As reported by Live Science, the study examines hundreds of ancient and modern genomes to determine when and where interbreeding between humans and Denisovans occurred.  Denisovans lived in Asia between about 200,000 and 30,000 years ago.  Researchers do not know much about them, but genetic connections have been found among modern Oceanians, East Asians, Southeast Asians, and Indigenous Americans.

The team analyzed the genomes of 115 ancient humans from around North America, South America and Eurasia.  The researchers combined this with data from 279 modern individuals from the Simons Genome Diversity Project.

Researchers found the highest levels of Denisovan ancestry in individuals from China 40,000 years ago, with about a quarter of one percent Denisovan ancestry.  Ancient mainland East Asians generally had the most ancestry among Eurasian populations.  This higher percentage comes from interbreeding with several Denisovan groups before the Last Glacial Maximum, from 26,500 to 19,000 years ago. 

Ancient Western Eurasians, such as individuals from Georgia, had extremely low Denisovan ancestry.  Japanese individuals from the Jomon period had the least Denisovan ancestry among East Asians.  One Jomon individual from about 4000 years ago had around one-sixth to one-eighth the Denisovan DNA of modern East Asians.

However, Denisovan DNA became more apparent later in Japan, during the Kofun period, from AD 300 to 710.  This increase may be related to population movements into Japan.

Researchers are unsure why the Jomon period shows so little Denisovan ancestry.  Interactions with Denisovans by some modern human groups might have been limited.  Research remains challenging because of gaps in genetic data.  Humans have lived in Japan for 32,000 years, but the oldest Jomon genome is only 9,000 years old.

This study helps scientists map early human migration and group interactions. Denisovan  DNA turns out to be a useful tool for uncovering population history.

The study appeared in the journal Current Biology.

That wraps up the news for this week!

For more stories and daily news updates, visit Archaeologica on the World Wide Web at www.archaeologica.org where all the news is history! Also, be sure to check out our growing subscription platform, Heritage Broadcasting Service, at heritagetac.org!

I’m Laura Kennedy and I’ll see you next week!